i was offered a job in florida that is how i became american. let's go the syrian army had entered lebanon in 1975 so what happened in 1990 that made you feel you needed to leave? >> guest: in 75 or 76 the syrians controlled parts of lebanon, not all of lebanon. what was known of east beirut or the free areas of lebanon did not succumb so i stayed there as long as there was a piece of land that was free. many lebanese left from day one. i stayed throughout the 15 years of war. but definitely having been in public speech having opposed the syrian opposition and having published books on minorities and the freedom of democracy living under syria and occupation would not have been a choice if i wanted to continue to write. i had a dream to get an american ph.d. anyway and teach here so both facts came together. >> host: thanks. now we begin by having some sense of where you are coming from both geographically and intellectually. you start out this book with quite bold assertions saying that the outcome of u.s. policies since 9/11 have been the inve